Desserette
The pin is a point inside the NPS boundary polygon, not a surveyed location.
Why it's listed
Desserette is a turpentine plantation near White Oak in Bladen County, North Carolina, just east of the Cape Fear River. Its centerpiece is a two-story, five-bay frame house with a center-hall, double-pile plan, built in the 1840s in the Greek Revival style with late Federal touches inside. Original stained and grained woodwork survives in the hall and several rooms. The grounds also hold a detached kitchen, a meathouse, a double-crib log barn, a 1930s poultry house and a family cemetery. The house was built by John Smith, whose plantation covered 3,400 acres and which served as a post office from 1853. John Taylor Council, ruined by the Civil War, moved here in 1863 and rebuilt his fortune with turpentine, aided by his wife's inheritance. Council descendants have lived here since. The property was listed for its link to the postwar transformation of planter society and for its surviving interior decoration.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it represents the home of a wealthy antebellum planter as the Old South gave way to a new order, especially through the Council family's rebuilding after the Civil War using turpentine. It is also a handsome Greek Revival plantation house that retains much of its original stained and grained interior finish.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 87001786, listed October 7, 1987. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | SW side of SR 1320 near jct. with SR 1318, White Oak |
|---|---|
| County | Bladen County |
| Listed | October 7, 1987 |
| Reference number | 87001786 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1840s - 1887 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival, with some late Federal detailing on the interior |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry, Agriculture, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied; used as a private residence and for agriculture. Condition is listed as fair and altered, on its original site. |
| Acreage | 125.7 |
| Coordinates | 34.79832, -78.77049 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 87001786.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q18149345
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.